


The Alicante Chronicle

by glorious_spoon



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - This World Inverted (Shadowhunters TV), Art, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:15:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23332969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glorious_spoon/pseuds/glorious_spoon
Summary: A series of Shadowhunters prompt ficlets from Twitter.
Relationships: Clary Fray/Maia Roberts, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 38
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For ClaireyCookie, who prompted: 
> 
> _Alec cannot play the violin. Magnus still stands and watches him every day on the street._

The first time, it’s more bemusement than anything that makes Magnus stop. It’s not that unusual to find buskers along the boardwalk, especially as spring draws into a slow, hot summer and the tourists begin to congregate, but most of them—

Well. To put it charitably, most of them actually know how to play.

The tall young man who’s taking up most of a bench with his sprawling limbs isn’t _completely_ incompetent. Magnus heard him give an indifferent attempt at the opening strains of what sounded like ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ before meandering off into some incoherent melody of his own making. But he has no sense of rhythm, can barely hold the bow, and doesn’t seem to know more than a bar or two of any melody, most of them barely recognizable as such. Magnus drops a dollar in the open case at his feet anyway. Anyone who has the balls to attempt busking on the boardwalk with an untalented third-grader’s command of their instrument clearly needs all the help he can get.

The man looks up to flash him a broad grin, and it’s definitely not the music that makes Magnus pause this time.

“Thanks,” he says, lifting the bow from the strings and drawing the melody to a sudden, discordant stop. “I’ll be here all week.”

“Good luck,” Magnus replies dubiously, but he finds that he’s smiling as well as he takes himself down the boardwalk toward Pandemonium with an air of bemused good cheer.

He doesn’t really expect to see the man again, but he’s there in the same place the next day, butchering the Star Wars theme. There’s a little hand-lettered sign in his violin case this time. It reads, in girlishly curling handwriting, _Enjoying the show? Take a moment to show your appreciation!!!_

There’s a heart underneath it. Magnus eyes it as he comes to a halt before the busker. It’s possible that he’s reading too much into that little note. The handwriting doesn’t really look like it matches the man himself, but who’s to say.

“Told you I’d be here,” the man says, and sets the violin down to hold out a hand. “I’m Alec.”

“Magnus,” Magnus says, taking it. Alec’s skin is warm and calloused, and he finds that he doesn’t really want to let go. After a moment, he does anyway. “And I certainly am enjoying the show.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t really my idea.”

“Girlfriend?” Magnus asks. Whatever. It’s not like he’s ever had much in the way of subtlety.

Alec laughs out loud. “Yeah, no. My sister. She said it would be a good way to pick up cute guys.”

“Oh,” Magnus says, brightening. “How is that working for you?”

Alec grins up at him, hazel eyes sparkling. His hair is wind-tousled and he has a reddish tan, freckles showing across the bridge of his nose, and he is just _lovely._ And right now, he’s looking at Magnus as though he likes what he sees as well. “So far, it’s been working out pretty well.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Morgan, who asked for Clary and Maia painting to a Bob Ross and Maia being better at it than Clary expected.

“Oh, wow,” Clary says, peering over at Maia’s canvas. Her hair is looped back in a long soft braid with little strands escaping to float around her face, and Maia’s fingers itch to smooth them back. She curls her fingers inward to suppress the urge, and sets the paintbrush down.

“That bad, huh?” It’s light, mostly. She’s never been any kind of an artist, but she was actually pretty pleased with this one, with the purple mountains slicing across a deep blue sky, the green valley spread out beneath it. It doesn’t really look like what Bob Ross is painting on Youtube, all grainy footage on Clary’s tablet, but she didn’t think it was _that_ bad.

She’s seen Clary’s paintings, though. So maybe she’s a little self-conscious right now, whatever.

“No,” Clary says after a moment, tilting her head to smile at Maia. “It’s really good, actually.”

Maia rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious. You have a good eye for color.”

“Oh my God.” She sets her brush down and presses her hands to her cheeks; they’re warm. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“Sorry,” Clary says, not sounding sorry at all, and leans in just enough to press a kiss to Maia’s mouth. “That’s what you get for being talented.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a Twitter prompt that asked for TWI Malec - Alec attempts to track down Magnus after the party when he runs off!

“Alec,” Jace tells him seriously, pushing a Styrofoam cup of ice cream liberally doused in rainbow sprinkles across the counter toward him, “I don’t mean to be a dick about this, but are you sure you haven’t lost your mind, here?”

“I’m not eating that,” Alec says.

Jace rolls his eyes. “Yes, you are.”

“Fine.” He collapses into the seat and picks up his spoon, resentfully. “I’m not paying for it.”

Jace comes around the side of the ice cream cart, flipping a dish rag over his shoulder. He stands for a moment, surveying Alec with a pitying look, before he finally sits down on the other side of the picnic table. 

“What,” Alec says, after the silence has stretched out.

“I’m just wondering who you are and what you’ve done with Alexander Lightwood, that’s all,” Jace says mildly. “This kind of glass-slipper fairy-tale shit isn’t really your style.”

Alec shrugs. Jace isn’t wrong. He doesn’t have _time_ for grand romances, and in his experience, they mostly turn out to be disappointments. He has no earthly reason to be this fixated on some odd stranger that he spent maybe half an hour with at the Institute party. No reason except for the way Magnus had unbent by slow degrees as they shared a drink, the glint of humor in his eyes, the slight sharp edge to his cautious smile. And, yeah, his looks are part of it, but not, surprisingly, the main part. Alec is used to being hit on by good looking guys. He’s not that used to having to do the pursuing, and he’s definitely not used to guys who are _interesting._

Magnus, he thinks, is the kind of person who’d have countless layers that he’d just love to peel off. Literally and metaphorically. If only he could find the guy.

“I’m not going to propose marriage,” he scoffs, finally. “I just want to ask him out for a drink. Maybe get laid.”

“Yeah, right.” It figures that Jace, who is the kind of sappy romantic who cries at Disney movies, would see right through him in two seconds flat. “Anyway, here.”

He shifts to dig through the pocket of his shorts, coming up with a handful of crumpled receipts and loose change and lint. Alec leans back before any of it can get on him, wrinkling his nose, and Jace paws through the mess and comes up with a dog-eared business card. He passes it over to Alec, who plucks it out of his fingers and makes a face. There’s a faint gumminess to the cardstock, like it’s been run through the wash or been doused in syrup or both, which knowing Jace is completely likely. “What is this?”

“Proof that I am the best friend in the whole world,” Jace says, and rolls his eyes when Alec glares at him. “I talked to Clary about your Magnus guy. She was really weird about it, but--anyway, look, just read it.”

Alec turns the card over. The lettering is slightly faded, but it’s still perfectly legible. _Magnus Bane_ is spelled out in a graceful, swooping copperplate hand. Underneath it, in print, the card reads, _Tarot and Psychic Readings - Learn What Your Future Holds!_

Underneath that is a phone number. Alec traces it with his fingertip, trying and probably failing to hide the hopeful anticipation bubbling up inside him. “Huh.”

“Yeah,” Jace says, smiling, and steals his ice cream. “Now go get your man.”


End file.
